Reciprocal Aid
by Bounemr
Summary: A glimpse into the life of a few heroes many years after their school days. Almost a slice-of-life story, just about how Momo and her friends live as adults. The story starts with the death of Recovery Girl, and the resulting pressure on them to truly settle down and build a stable life for themselves, free from the wanderlust they've been succumbing to until then.


There was little in the world that could hit Momo as hard as the news she received just the previous week. After everything she had been through in her high school years, even her job as a pro hero rarely held any serious surprises for her. Nothing, good or bad, that shook her so deeply, invoked such a visceral reaction in her.

Walking home, tucked into Kaminari's side, wreathed in black on a too sunny summer day, she still couldn't summon words. It was hot, she felt sticky with sweat, the sun beat down on her, but still she huddled close to Kaminari as if she was in the middle of a blizzard. He didn't say any more than she did; he only wrapped his trembling arm around her shoulders and kept them from running into anything on their way down the street.

Neither of them cried.

They breathed a steady, bracing tempo and walked, letting the crowd more than their own legs sweep them in their wake away from the ceremony. An unspoken agreement brought them both to Kaminari's apartment. Kirishima and Ashido were already waiting by the door.

Kaminari pulled out a key and the four of them piled in, collapsing wherever was most convenient. Momo pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, trying not to think about the future. Kirishima pulled Ashido close to him and together they shed silent tears. Kaminari worried his lip and retreated to the kitchen.

"Did anyone else make it in?" Kaminari asked quietly, after he returned with tea.

"Only Bakugou." Momo said, accepting her cup. The five of them were the only ones from their old class still close enough to UA to find time in their schedules to attend.

Kaminari placed the tray with the other teacups on the table, within reach of Ashido and Kirishima. "I'll call him."

Momo closed her eyes, sipping the tea, allowing it to bring her to focus. She was just a little overwhelmed. _UA depended on her more than anyone else._ Momo thought, biting the inside of her cheek. _Without Recovery Girl, they'll never get away with the over the top training and exams they've had until now. And…_ She screwed her eyes tighter, forcing herself to put her teacup down before her trembling spilled its contents all over herself and Kaminari's chair.

Every single one of them, every member of her old class without exception, owed their lives to Recovery Girl several times over. She was without a doubt the single most important person responsible for getting them all through the trials and tribulations of their school years and the few following alive and together. Not only did she heal their wounds, she healed their minds – as much as they could be. She healed their hearts, gave them the strength to carry themselves through.

They owed everything to her. Their lives, their careers, in some cases, their friendships. And it broke Momo's heart that only a fourth of their class made it to the funeral.

It couldn't be helped, of course. With so many of them abroad or on different sides of Japan, it was only expected. Todoroki was off in Fukuoka, and kept busy nearly every moment. Ojiro, Hagakure, and Aoyama were in Bangladesh, last Momo had received word. Tokoyami was in Austria, Iida in Canada, Asui somewhere sailing the Pacific Ocean. Argentina, Spain, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Zambia, her classmates had very effectively scattered all around the globe. Sometimes it was hard to stay in contact. Occasionally someone would give notice that they wouldn't be heard from for a year or more because of their travels.

Momo herself had on more than one occasion packed up and moved for a few months or a year before moving someplace else on little more than a whim. Even of the five of them who were still around their childhood home, Bakugou had spent time in America and moved more than once around Japan, Kaminari had only gotten back the previous year from his stint in Italy, and Ashido and Kirishima had moved back and forth between Osaka, Tokyo, and all over the Japanese countryside. Those two had been back the longest, and had stayed in one place the longest, having settled down for three years so far. Bakugou had been living in central Tokyo for about a year. Momo had been working at her current agency, after getting back from her trip to England, for two years, and she had already begun getting restless before Kaminari showed up and signed on with her agency as well. Working together helped her calm down and though she wasn't sure she wouldn't move again, she was relatively content staying put.

It was interesting to her that her whole class fell prey to that restlessness. She attributed it to a maladaptive acclimatization they'd made during their school years. After so long of such intense fighting, when there was nothing left to fight they were left without any outlet for the energy and instincts they'd become used to exercising. When she sat still for too long, she got the sense that the walls were watching, that some new threat would come out of the woodwork and she wouldn't see it and tragedy would follow.

It wasn't tense, exactly, or even stressful. It was just instinct. It wasn't tiring anymore, but it spurred her to action when, if she thought it through, she would probably stay put. The only time the itch to move completely went away was when she was in the streets on patrol or fighting crime. She kept herself busy to ignore it, as they all did.

So far away, and always forcing themselves to have something to do meant that when they received the news, if they could receive news, that Recovery Girl had died, no one was able to fly in to attend the funeral.

And Momo felt lonely. In times like those, the four of them were such a sad echo of the lively class she loved. Recovery Girl told her to find strength in her friends, and she did. Now, they were scattered to the winds and when she stood in the crowd – an astonishingly massive crowd larger than even the one at All Might's funeral (Momo swore three cities were packed in to get a glimpse), a testament to the number of lives she'd touched – Momo had never felt that dispersal so tangibly. Ashido and Kirishima and Bakugou couldn't arrive with them, so she only had Kaminari to cling to through the entire event, and it just felt like something she was supposed to have a class for, not just a single, uncharacteristically muted co-worker.

"Yeah, we're all at my apartment." Kaminari said quietly into his phone. "Of course, you can come over, dude. You're always welcome here." Momo looked up in time to see Kaminari glance over at the three of them. "I don't know." Kaminari's eyes found the floor instead. "Of course. See you soon."

Kaminari pulled the phone from his ear, pressed the end call button, and set it down on the counter before returning and dragging Momo to the couch, pinning her between him and Ashido. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "How're you doing?" He asked quietly, mumbling into her hair.

"I'll be okay." She said honestly. "I just miss everyone else."

"I know." He hugged her tight, only loosening his hold when she reached for her tea. "Me too."

Bakugou came in through the unlocked door five minutes later, and they had barely moved from their line on the sofa. He made a beeline for them, and placed one hand on Kaminari's shoulder, the other on Momo's and gave them a gentle squeeze. Wordlessly, he moved on to bend over Ashido and Kirishima, a hand on each of their heads. "Don't wallow." He said, not quite his usual growl but loud enough to break the thick quiet over them all. "We haven't gotten stuck yet and I sure as hell ain't letting this be what gets you." He moved to the center of them, leaning between Ashido and Momo with a hand on each of them. "Come on, let's get dinner."

"We don't have to." Kirishima said a bit timidly. "I mean, I understand if you guys don't feel like going out."

"That's why you have to." Bakugou said matter-of-factly. "Especially you, Eijirou. Besides, I need to go back home tomorrow so you guys are coming out to eat with me and you don't have a choice in the matter."

Kaminari let out a subdued chuckle. "Well, if it's for you."

"Up, Sparky."

It took a minute or two, but everyone managed to get up. Kaminari first, and he held out a hand to Momo and pulled her to her feet. Bakugou picked up Ashido soon after, placing her on her feet and muttering something in her ear, getting a nod in response as she wiped at her eyes. When Kirishima took Bakugou's hand, he surged forward with the pull to his feet and went straight in for a hug. "Thanks, Katsuki." He said.

Bakugou just rubbed Kirishima's back for a moment until he was released. Everyone started towards the door. A hand caught Momo's arm, arresting her movement to follow. She turned to the sharp keening hidden in Bakugou's stern eyes. "I'm not going to be here to pick them up after today." He said.

A statement, a challenge, a plea. He lives nearby, but too far to come at the drop of a hat. Too far to be a shoulder to cry on or the arms to hold them. "I know." Momo said. An affirmation, an understanding, a deal. Her voice was steady, strong, as if Bakugou was giving her some of his strength through his hand on her arm. "I will." She was used to this with Bakugou. They weren't the closest socially, but they were fire-forged friends. They relied on each other. They knew when the other needed help.

Something gentle took hold in Bakugou's expression, something Momo still was unused to seeing despite their usually cordial relationship. "Thank you."

Momo worried briefly how Bakugou would do on his own. He didn't show it, but the loss of Recovery Girl would be just as earth-shattering for him, too. Maybe less so than the rest of them – he got hurt less severely less often, and for a while he would never have accepted her advice either, but the fact remained that Recovery Girl was a focal point for them all. Aside from each other, she was the one they went back to. She was the break between the battles in their lives of war.

But he was also Bakugou. Even if it was hard for him, he'd never falter. Knowing Momo was going to keep the others, the ones he was closer to, afloat was probably enough for him. Still, Momo reached up and gripped his shoulder. "You can call me, too."

He nodded. "That goes both ways." A gentle hand found its way to her neck, it cupped her jaw and a thumb brushed her cheek. It lingered just a second, and then it pulled away and Momo was following Bakugou out the door.

Bakugou's no-nonsense attitude was surprisingly effective at keeping the mood high even though they were all still robed in black. It struck Momo that they probably seemed so inappropriate, black dresses and suits and unfortunately timed cursing and, once Bakugou and Momo had gotten the conversation to really flow, some giggling and teasing and smiling.

When Kaminari said something that sent everyone into a laughing fit, Momo met Bakugou's eyes. He smiled, hidden within the joke but clearly for her. She subtly nodded back. The message was clear. _With these three, they can help themselves if you get them going. Just don't let them stagnate. Keep them busy for a while, and we'll be okay._

It was unanimously decided to have a sleepover at Kirishima's apartment, as he was the one who lived closest to the train station that Bakugou would need to be at in the morning and no one really wanted to spend the night alone in the dark. Then they said goodbye to Bakugou and returned to work and the next few weeks were a flurry of activity, mostly self-induced, for all four heroes. Uraraka came to visit a few days late for the funeral but Ashido went with her to the cemetery. When Jirou came by not long after Uraraka left, Kaminari took her. And then Kirishima escorted Kouda.

Momo, without fail, checked in on them the first chance she got. She made sure to keep her promise to Bakugou either by sweeping her friends up for a social outing or sitting quietly with them and letting them vent, usually both. Kaminari turned to her more often than not, showing up at her door after whatever classmate he had been spending time with left. He became more present in her office than he usually was at work, doing all his reports on paper or on a laptop instead of his office computer.

She didn't have the same luxury of space with Kirishima and Ashido, but when possible, they all got together to be with their visiting classmate. Sometimes they couldn't stay long enough for everyone to coordinate their work schedules, but still, the ones who could make it were constantly accompanying whoever happened to be in town at the time. It gave Momo a chance to observe the other two and to extend her hand to them.

They took it, showing up some evenings at her door just to talk or occasionally just to crash on her couch. She called Bakugou a few times, throughout those weeks, and he called her once. All of their talks were short, but they breathed new life into Momo. They refueled her when she felt she was running on empty and would no longer be able to carry her friends. About a month passed by that way, with the frequency of her friend's visits reducing over time to nearly normal levels, before Todoroki came knocking, unexpectedly, at her door with a duffel over his shoulder and a suitcase parked on the ground next to him.

"Shouto." Momo breathed out a sigh, pulling him into her apartment and into her arms with one tug. "It's good to see you." She held him at arm's length, examining him. "How have you been? Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I should have called."

"No, no, don't worry one bit about it!" Momo ushered him in, throwing his bags haphazardly into an open space, and sat him down on the sofa, dancing into the kitchen to make some tea. "You're never a bother, and you're always welcome."

Todoroki sat quietly with his thoughts for a while. Only once Momo poured him a cup of tea did he speak again. "How is the school doing?"

Momo poured her own cup and sat down next to him, their thighs touching. "It's rough, but they'll make it through."

He hummed. "I feel sorry for those kids. It'll be hard for them to reach the expectations put on them."

"Plenty of hero schools operate just fine without a healing quirk to back them up. We need to trust that the principal will know what needs to change."

"I wasn't talking about within the school. They're still UA students." He sipped his tea serenely. "They best hope they don't sign on one of our agencies."

Momo giggled. "Especially with Bakugou. He's already complaining about the quality of the sidekicks."

"Most of us would probably tear apart any first year doing their workplace experience."

His voice was airy, light, but Momo could hear the weight within it. She carried the same one within her chest. "We have to. I hate to sound like Bakugou, but if 'Plus Ultra' takes a different meaning now that they can't go so over-the-top, I'm not sure what future those kids have as heroes."

Todoroki's mismatched eyes seemed to stare into another world inside his teacup. "Stain. The Hero Killer." He said. Momo furrowed her brow. "After us, the next generation of heroes was already back to the same thing he was killing to protest."

"Do you agree with him?"

"No. He was an idealist."

"But there's something, isn't there?" Momo could see it in his eyes, a sense of dissatisfaction.

"The purpose of a hero." He mumbled. "It's different for us, because of the League. These kids are of a different ken."

Momo frowned. "You almost sound like you wish there was a League for these new kids."

"Of course not. I just feel…" He trailed off, chewing his lip as he considered the words he wanted. "It makes me feel like a bit of a relic. Stain was wrong, in more ways than just his way of protest, but he was also a product of another time. He wanted to return our concept of heroes to that of the old days. I didn't understand at first – there's something romantic about that way of thinking, yeah, that was clear. I understood how he could want the days when heroes were heroes for heroism's sake. Probably better than most, I understood why he would want heroes to be altruistic.

"But I never understood how he could have such conviction." Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "I'm not sure I do now, but I think I'm closer. It's lonely, being left behind. It's frustrating seeing what was so important get turned back into a media sensation." He shook his head sadly. "I don't know how Midoriya does it. I couldn't take the attention."

Momo hummed quietly. "A lot is going to change, isn't it?"

"I'm worried for the kids. Obviously, I hope they never face anything like we did, but if another League did show up… I'm worried they wouldn't be able to stand up."

"Most probably would have said that about us, going into high school."

"We had Eraserhead and All Might."

"They have us."

Todoroki shifted his grip on the teacup, cupping it in his palms. After a long silence, he said, "You've been here for a while."

"Just over two years, now."

"Must be nice."

Momo considered her tea carefully, taking another slow sip before answering. "I only stayed for Denki."

That got Todoroki's attention. He lifted an eyebrow and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You did mention you work together." His voice was careful, calculated, probing.

"Yes. I guess after so long living out of a suitcase I needed him to tie me down. I didn't even realize how lonely it was until I started seeing him every day."

Todoroki pursed his lips. "Have you ever thought about something more permanent? About really settling down? Opening your own agency, or teaching? You'd be good at it."

Momo laughed. "I've thought about it, sure. But you know why I haven't."

Todoroki was far away in every way except physically. She could see his world in his being. His eyes traced the Alps, his hands brushed something in Brazil, his feet took him through a crowded Egyptian street. She recognized the expression. She wore it herself often enough. She saw it on Kaminari when he thought she wasn't looking. On Kirishima and Ashido when they spent too long apart. "Wanderlust." He said quietly.

"Wanderlust." Momo agreed with a sigh. Even then her skin itched to go somewhere else, do something else, be anywhere but the place she had arbitrarily labelled "home".

"But Kaminari keeps you here."

"Yes."

"How?"

Momo smiled, sympathetic and a little sad. It would be hard to explain just what was so magnetic about Kaminari, what made him so grounding. "Several things, I guess." She settled on. And then she leaned into Todoroki, resting her head on his shoulder, tucking her legs under her, slipping her arm around his. "But mostly this."

Todoroki tensed, and relaxed only very slowly. Momo felt the muscles in his arm slowly loosen, his back arch just slightly in a slouch. And then he leaned into her. "I see."

They enjoyed their tea and the other's company for a while, before Momo asked, "What about you? How was Fukuoka?"

"It's nice. Wasn't home, though."

"I see."

"Actually, I want to try something more permanent. That's why I came back here."

Momo lifted her head to look Todoroki in the eyes. "You're not here just to visit?"

He shook his head slowly. "I'm moving back to Musutafu. Going to live in the old house. For now at least."

 _The old Todoroki house…_ Momo was very much against the idea, but she trusted that Todoroki knew himself better than she did. Still, the thought of him returning to the house he once shared with his father, the house his mother permanently scarred him in, put a grimace on her face. "Are you sure? You'll be okay there?"

He chuckled weakly. "I don't know. Probably why I came here first. It's just… I feel like now that Recovery Girl is gone, I need to get my life together."

"Oh, Shouto. We aren't doing so bad." Mom squeezed his arm. "Even if we're basically nomads, we're doing pretty well for ourselves, all things considered."

"I guess. But we can't keep doing that." He smiled warmly at her. "Like it or not, we're not getting any younger. One of these days, we just won't be able to pack up and move away anymore. I want something here for when that happens. Even if I don't settle down now, I want to lay a foundation."

Momo thought over his reasoning. It made sense, of course, but even as close as she was to achieving that, the yearning in her gut made it still seem like a pipe dream. But the look in Todoroki's eyes was distant in a new way, one that looked forward in time rather than sideways in space. She saw the future there, a determination to reach out and meet it, apprehension and excitement and hope.

She never could say no to him when he got that look. "Maybe you're right. It certainly feels like a time for change."

"Hmm. Speaking of. I never did ask why you live here instead of your parents' place. You're not me."

"No." Momo looked around at her warmly decorated apartment. It was homelier than any she'd had before, mostly just due to her length of stay. Normally, she barely unpacked and didn't have any decoration to speak of, but over the two years she'd stayed she'd happened upon or was gifted things she didn't have any reason to dispose of. It gave her apartment a lived-in feel that, if she were honest, still caught her off guard sometimes. Still, compared to most "homes", especially the one she remembered from her childhood, the place was spartan and cold. "It's because I didn't intend to stay long, at first. If I stayed with my parents… it would have hurt to leave again."

"But you don't intend to leave now."

Momo worried her lip. "Not really. But I still feel like it's just a matter of when. I visit, of course, but that house is so…"

"Permanent?"

She didn't like that word. Didn't like admitting that the implications of it scared her. "Yeah."

"I understand." Momo knew he did. He understood very well exactly the feeling in her heart.

Momo shook off her mood, sticking a smile back on her face. "By the way, where are you going to sign on? You need a new agency, don't you?"

"No." He smiled dreamily, as if he couldn't comprehend the words that came out of his mouth. "I'm not going to be working as an active-duty hero anymore. I decided to get a job at UA."

"As a teacher?"

"Yeah." His chuckle was a little shaky. He ran the hand Momo wasn't latched onto through his hair. "I'm honestly pretty sure I'll suck at it, but I mean, we had Eraserhead as a teacher. I can't do that badly. Right?"

Momo laughed. _He certainly isn't the most personable of characters. Shouto's right. His awkwardness won't stop him._ "You'll be a wonderful teacher."

"I hope so. I want to do right by the kids. Like Eraserhead did for us. Like Recovery Girl did. All Might."

Momo snorted. "Don't throw Aizawa in that list like he's dead."

Todoroki started laughing along with her. "Sorry."

"Those kids are lucky to have you."

"I don't know about that, but I'm going to do my best."

Momo hummed. "That means I'll have reason to stop by the school again. If you're okay with us visiting you at work." She smiled impishly at him, letting him reach the implications on his own.

"At your discretion." He said. "And I mean _yours_. Can't have Kaminari and the horn buddies interrupting class every day."

"Come on, the kids would love them."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

They both chuckled and relaxed together until they finished their tea. Momo clung to him for a while more, content in the peaceful silence between them. And then her eyes wandered and she saw his abandoned suitcase and duffel bag. "When are you moving in?"

Todoroki gave a muted hum. "Was planning on tonight. Not really any time lock. It's my house."

"True." Momo frowned at the bags a while more. _When was the last time Fuyumi came back? It couldn't have been long after I moved here, or more. I don't remember seeing her at all since I've been in Musutafu. The place probably needs some tidying… I have time tomorrow. Denki will probably want to help too, once he hears. Plus, I don't want him to go there alone. Not at first, at least._ She worried her lip and nodded as she came to a decision. "Why don't you stay here for the night?"

Todoroki's eyes widened. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Not at all! I'm offering! Denki and I are off work tomorrow, so we'll come with you to clean up the place. It's pretty big to do on your own, isn't it? Besides, it's getting late."

He hesitated. Momo could tell he didn't want to request their help, but he couldn't argue that the Todoroki house wasn't big. It would certainly be an easier and much more enjoyable job with the three of them. So, after a moment of watching Todoroki frown in deliberation, he asked, "Does Kaminari know he's helping?"

Momo chuckled. "I'll tell him you're moving in and he'll offer before I can even bring it up. Watch." She got up and moved to her phone, hitting the call button on Kaminari's name.

Kaminari answered before it reached the third ring. "Momo, what's up?" His voice was cheery, but meant business. The usual answer tone. They were pro heroes, after all. Even when they were off, they were prepared for a call to action.

"Shouto's back."

A pause. Kaminari squeaked a little in what might have been excitement. "Todoroki? Why didn't he call us?"

Momo considered that for a second, realizing he never did answer that question. "Actually," she said to Todoroki, "why _didn't_ you call ahead?"

Todoroki shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you. I just chickened out before I could get to the house."

Momo nodded and spoke into the phone once more. "He wanted to surprise us."

"Well, he did!" Kaminari's distorted laugh was loud enough that Momo was pretty sure Todoroki could hear it. "Oh man, it's been forever! How long is he sticking around?"

"Indefinitely."

"Huh? You're saying he's moving in?"

"Mhmm. Into his old family home."

Kaminari hissed. "Yikes. That place creeps me out. Oh!" Momo smirked and put him on speaker. "But we can go over tomorrow and help him get situated! Place is bound to be dusty at least, and we can all go to the store or whatever to get him what he needs."

Todoroki chuckled, nodding his head to Momo in defeat. "I'd appreciate that, Kaminari."

"Todoroki! My dude! My man! It's so good to hear your voice! Been too long, man."

"Agreed. Nice to talk to you again, Kaminari."

Momo giggled. "Alright, well, I just wanted to fill you in. Shouto's staying here tonight, but I'll text you in the morning and we can all meet up at the Todoroki place. That work for you?"

"Sure thing, Momo! Oh, do Eijirou and Mina know yet? Can I tell them? I think they're working tomorrow, but still."

"Shouto?" Momo looked for his input.

He smiled. "Sure, you can tell them."

"Sweet! Alright, I'll let you guys go. But Todoroki, I'm glad I'll be seeing more of you. Get lots of sleep tonight. You and I both know that moving in is a pain; it'll be a long day tomorrow."

"I hear you. See you then, Kaminari."

"Good night, Todoroki! Night, Momo!"

"Sweet dreams, Denki."

The line went dead, and Todoroki broke out with gentle chuckles. "He really did just offer straight up."

"Told you."

"Even though he says it's a pain."

"It's a pain he's going through for his friend. Which really makes it not much of a pain at all." Momo said sagely, waggling the phone at him. "But he's right. There'll be a lot to do tomorrow. We should get some rest."

Todoroki nodded in agreement, sighing. He insisted on washing the teacups, so Momo busied herself by bringing out blankets and pillows for him. They didn't stay up too late, didn't give into the temptation to regale each other with stories from the years they were parted (Those could wait until at least Kaminari was along with them to hear. He could tell their stories far better than Momo could, anyway.).

And so, she smiled at her friend tucking himself in on her couch, a position she'd been in more times than she bothered to count with enough of her classmates that she stopped bothering with specifics of who, and shut off the light. She retreated to her own room and laid down to sleep, thinking of a haunted house standing tall and imposing, imagining ways to make it something better. Behind her eyelids played scenes from a school she hadn't really spent time in in years, with everyone in the wrong places. On her breath was a hopeful dirge, a whisper of a promise she didn't make but thought that maybe she should.


End file.
